This story is part of CES 2016. Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around.
Apple first introduced HomeKit at its Worldwide Developers Conference (or WWDC) in 2014. It's a software platform that lets you use Siri to voice-control third-party products. Roughly a year later, Lutron -- the manufacturers of smart lighting and window shade products -- launched one of the earliest retail-ready HomeKit products.
The $230 HomeKit-enabled Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Bridge connects to your router and allows communication between Lutron's Clear Connect protocol and your smartphone or tablet.
At first it was only compatible with Lutron's plug-in and in-wall dimmer switches. But now Lutron is adding its Serena and Sivoia QS Triathlon shades to the mix -- and they're designed to work with the very same HomeKit-enabled Smart Bridge.
That means you should be able to ask Siri to open or close your Lutron window shades and to control your Lutron lighting products in one fell swoop.
One hitch is that you still currently need an Apple TV (third generation or newer) to use Siri control when you aren't on your home Wi-Fi network. An iOS 9 software update was supposed to change that, but we're still waiting to see this reflected in most third-party HomeKit products.
Either way, we're looking forward to testing out Lutron's latest HomeKit integration at the CNET Smart Home.